The Can’t Cook Book Recipe: Coconut Shortbread

Jessica Seinfeld is the author of two New York Times bestselling cookbooks and the President and Founder of Baby Buggy, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing clothing and equipment to New York’s families. She lives in New York City with her husband and three children.

Give the traditional shortbread cookie a twist by adding coconut, or use it as the base for a fruity tart. From The Can’t Cook Book.

Makes 24 cookies

Every year I make this recipe just as summertime hits. The buttery texture makes it a great accompaniment for creamy desserts like panna cotta or ice cream. The coconut is a fun twist on a classic cookie. You could also use the dough as a base for a tart.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until softened. Beat in the flour, coconut, salt, rum, and vanilla until combined.

Between 2 sheets of parchment paper, roll the dough out to a rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle the work surface with granulated sugar and transfer the dough to the sugar. Cut the dough into bars 1 x 2 1/2 inches. Transfer the bars to the baking sheet. Sprinkle more granulated sugar on top. Bake for 10 minutes.
Rotate the pan front to back and continue to bake until light golden brown, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
Chef it up!
A really easy way to fancy-up shortbread is to use a shortbread mold. The shortbread you see in the photo was made in an 11 1/2-inch round mold with a heart design. The mold is also scored for perfect portioning of the cookies. Just press the dough into the mold with your fingertips and bake until light golden brown. There’s nothing like a baking tool that does all the decorating work for you!